IFNB1 and severe acute respiratory syndrome: The efficacy of ribavirin alone or in combination with IFN-β for the treatment of SARS is inconsistent and controversial (Chu et al., 2004; Leong et al., 2004), and Canada announced a ban on ribavirin for the treatment of SARS due to the reported side effects and inadequate efficacy (Chiou et al., 2005).